Takes Two to Tango, Mon Cheri
by my-achtung-baby
Summary: the title is actually literal, if yu read the story. its a one shot, two scenes, one of hate, then hate turns to passion that burns and this turns out to be...love?..i don't know just read it ok?


**A/N **one short for you Hermione draco lovers out there.

There is actually a dance scene, and before or during you read it I recommend you listen to El tango De Roxanne from moulin rouge, if it's at all possible. This is the song I was thinking about when I wrote the scene, and I was listening to the song and they actually go quite well together, particularly the opening.

Also, if you've ever seen a tango, you'll get the whole dance of intimacy thing, its often a portrayal of sexuality, which is what I'm trying to get across.

**Takes two to tango mon cheri**

"Draco Malfoy"

Hermione stood three feet from the man, eyes wide with dislike and surprise. At that moment she could not think of another person she would less like to meet.

"..Hermione Granger"

Malfoy said softly, as if copying Hermione, using both first and last names. His face bore the hint of a cold smile, and his eyes brow was cocked mockingly

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"It's a free world Granger. I happen to be liaising with Mungo officials in coherence with my work for the Department of magical health and safety. And what brings you to these hallowed halls?"

Hermione did not reply, but merely pointed to the badge pinned to her robes

**Hermione Granger**

Healer apprentice

"Ahh…going into the healing business I see. I must say, it suits you. A career that requires you do other wizards dirty work, a job that just requires knowledge and smarts, nothing to do with guts or intuition." He gave her a haughty little smirk.

Hermione was going red "uhuh. And you are part of the Department for Magical Health and Safety. I suppose you sit in a little office all day wring reports about herb poisoning? You're a big man aren't you?" she scoffed

"Actually I'm head of the committee responsible for taking care of what goes on in this very hospital. At least my job requires pushing forward my point of view, negotiation and, in the end, being in charge of _something_."

Hermione said nothing. She stood and glared at him, the colour in her face rising quickly.

"So..." Draco leaned in and said nastily "I guess that means I win?"

Hermione flew off the hook. She threw herself forward so that she grabbed Draco's shoulders and forced him into the wall just behind. Caught off balance Draco did not resist her force, and had to allow himself to slam into the concrete.

"Hey Draco" she whispered viciously, her face inches from his "I don't give a flying fuck what you think, you get it? You keep the hell away from me if you don't want a rearranged face." she spun around and stormed off down the hall

However seconds later she could hear someone striding towards her from behind. Before she could react a hand gripped her shoulder painfully and swung her around., He backed her onto a wall much like the one he had been against a minute ago, but instead of gripping her shoulders like she had done, he used his long body to press her against the wall. She struggled to breathe because of her lungs being squashed under his chest.

"No-one tells me what to do Miss Granger." He leered down at her. "I just want you to know who has the power here." He crushed her harder against the concrete till she thought her bones would surely break, then released her and strode away.

_Just forget it _she thought to herself _lets just hope I don't see him again. _And she didn't.

For awhile that is.

_About a month later _

Hermione climbed the Grand stairs leading to the entrance of _La lierre palais_, a beautiful function centre for the magical world. She walked through the lobby, admiring the tasteful gold, maroon and white décor.

As she entered the main ballroom, her breath caught in her throat; much of the vast room was occupied by many round tables, each seating about ten people. Each table was decorated with lavish centerpieces and glinting white china edged in gold. The table was covered in a white table cloth and the chairs were white with gold bows hanging from their backs. The room itself was adorned in white and gold. A thousand candles blazed in brackets around the walls, and the high domed ceiling was sculpted and painted in a sumptuous geometrical design. At the far end of the ballroom was highly polished dark wood dance floor beneath a stage where an orchestra played dinner music.

"Hermione! So glad you could make it!" A lady in her early forties beckoned Hermione to join her over by a sign that read: "St Mungo's 4th annual Charity ball" and in smaller letters "all proceeds to victims and the families of victims affected by The Dark Battle" Hermione smiled and walked to stand with the lady. June Andromeda, her supervising officer a work, was dressed in a maroon velvet gown that hugged her figure and dropped straight down off her hips to the floor. Her shoulders were wrapped in a little black lace cape and rubies to match her dress cascaded from her ears and neck. The whole effect was a little bit much for Hermione, but this was how June was. Her natural vivaciousness and over the top manner meant a lot of strange outfits, but it also meant that she was a fabulously engaging person to talk to

"Hermione! My favorite apprentice! Oh don't blush like that, you know I mean it! Now listen:" she grasped both Hermione's hands and lent in closer, as if to share a girly little secret "you have the brains to go far honey, we both know that. Now is the perfect time to make the right connections within the medical business to ensure a simply fabulous career for you! Not to mention of course, the many eligible bachelors here. Promise me you'll have a little shop around wont you?" she smiled and winked at Hermione, who rolled her eyes playfully and stepped back.

"Now June we've been through this..." she smiled a reluctant smile.

"Hermione!" Jane did and exaggerated double take and look at the younger girl as if only just realizing something

"You look…incredibly, fantastically, extraordinarily beautiful!" Hermione blushed; glad someone had noticed the effort she had made with her appearance. She wore a midnight blue dress made of thin floating satin. The dress was low cut and accentuated her small waist and hips. The skirt widened to float delicately around her feet, fluttering and trailing behind her whenever she walked. A slit in the side inched up her leg, revealing strappy silver heels. Her hair was loosely curled and reached almost to her waist. At the base of her neck she wore a silver chain with five simple strands of diamonds hanging at different lengths. Her skin was smooth and her eyes widened and accentuated with mascara and eyeliner. The whole effect was so stunning that several people, mostly men, had already turned around and were staring at her, muttering their approvals.

"I, well, thank you" Hermione replied sheepishly "we had better go sit down, I think dinner is starting"

Hermione took her place in a seat marked with her name. She noted with a wry smile that she was at the same table as several influential members of the hospital, as well as seated next a very handsome man that could only have been a little older than herself.

Of course intelligent conversation was no problem for her. She quickly gained the respect of her table members from her display of knowledge in areas often incomprehensible to other apprentice ranked healers, and because of her well thought out and logical views on current issues. When dinner was over the young man she was seated next to asked her to dance which she complied with amiably. After stopping for a refreshment, she danced with several other charming men, before deciding she needed a rest, an a chance to work the room.

Her confidence was mounting, and she flitted from group to group round the expansive ballroom, making light conversation with all the right people. She discovered she had quite a talent for small talk.

Taking a break from conversation, she wandered over to the edge of the dance floor where people were watching others dance to a light jovial muggle piece of music, which she suspected was written by a man called Mozart. She smiled as she saw June waltz by with her tubby balding husband, each looking as though thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Just then the piece of music finished, and the orchestra began playing the introduction to a different piece. It was darker, in a minor key, and there was something horribly seductive about the melody. It reminded her of a song called El Tango De Roxanne, with was in one of the few muggle movies she had seen, called the Moulin Rouge.

A hand pressed into the small of Hermione's back, leading her onto the dance floor. She turned to see the face of her new dance partner, but dug her heels into the floor when she saw him

Pale grey eyes met hers. A malicious smile played on his lips, and he did not remove his hand from her back.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered fiercely" _déjà vu_ she thought.

"Same reason as you. And we are going to dance, I know you can, I've seen you ballroom dance before, lets show all these people up." He moved his grip to her hand and began pulling her out into the crowd of dancers

"There is no way I'm going to dance with you! Let go of me" she tried to wrench her hand out of his grip, but he was very strong.

"You aren't going to make a scene in front of all your medical buddies are you? You don't want to ruin that reputation you've been building all night, do you?" She had her there and he knew it.

"Besides, this is my favorite dance" He inclined his head so their faces were as close as their last encounter at the hospital, intimidating her easily

"Like I care what you like Malfoy." She replied shakily "Fine, I'll dance with you, but only because I obviously don't have a choice"

"You don't."

She allowed him to lead her to a clear spot on the dance floor, and she walked around in a semicircle like tradition demanded in this dance. The introduction nearly over, they came together and both assumed the stiff posture of a practiced ballroom dancer. She placed her hand on his back just below his neck, and he put his hand on her back around her waist. At the last beat before the start of the dance, Malfoy drew her in forcefully so that their bodies were just inches apart.

And then they strode across the dance floor, each wearing a venomous expression, though Hermione looked more worried and Malfoy looked more malevolent.

Abruptly he swung into a deep backbend, so that her hair trailed the floor beneath her. Her back screamed as she bit back a gasp, and for a moment it looked as though he might drop her, but the he pulled her back up and they continued to sweep around the floor.

He turned her sharply and she dug her fingernails into his back. He sneered and pressed his fingertips into her flesh. Still they spun around the floor

They began getting fancier, more out of habit than willingness. Malfoy twisted Hermione rapidly and she kicked gracefully. As the music slowed Malfoy pulled her in closer, and placed his hand gently on her collarbone, in an almost tender way. Before she could register this he pushed her roughly away into a spin. _What the hell is going on here? _Hermione was feeling odd under the intense light and subconsciously stroked his face as the music slowed one more, before using the heel of her palm to push him away by the chest to the beat when the music quickened. He lunged back before coming back and grasping her tightly once more in ballroom hold.

The pace quickened as they neared the end of the song. They touched each other in the way a good tango should be performed, and even though each time they were dance moves, at the same time the feeling was unspeakably intimate.

Finally the song ended and Hermione was dipped into a last incredibly deep backbend. Malfoy pulled her up with ease and the two stared at each other for long moments, each others emotions totally unreadable.

Suddenly Hermione turned and marched off towards the lobby. Malfoy followed without a word. When she reached the lob she continued to a back corner where they would be obscured from general view by a few marble pillars, and fern and a very large vase.

When Malfoy reached her hiding spot she spun around and seized the front of his shirt

"What the hell was that?" she hissed angrily into is face.

"It was a dance you stupid girl" his lip twitched as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Don't you say that to me! We made a spectacle of ourselves, what were you playing at?"

"I wasn't the only one making the spectacle; it takes two to tango Granger, and that was one hell of a tango"

"Malfoy, I…I…loathe you. You have no principles do you? I Cant stand this!" she cried out the last, reflect her confusion over the situation

He leaned towards her and whispered "intensité" in a perfect French accent.

Hermione brought her hand up to rest on his chest. She still hated the man in front of her, what was she doing? She watched him for a moment, and then slapped him hard on the cheek.

He looked away, then turned to face Hermione, who was panting slightly. He came slowly towards her, and she backed away against her own will. Malfoy seemed unpredictable _would he hit me? Perhaps…oh no…_ Malfoy looked as he wanted nothing better than to hit Hermione, but then pushed her hard against the wall behind her and engaged her in a hard and passionate kiss.

_Why do we always end up against a wall? _Hermione couldn't help but kiss back just as hard. Malfoy had slipped his hands around her waist and was holding her against the wall by digging his knee into her thigh. Hermione put her hands over his shoulders and down his back and rubbed her fingers over his shoulder blades.

Each felt as though other bones would crush at any moment, but both pressed harder and harder against the others body.

"what are we doing…this is a lobby...my supervisor is…over there somewhere…" Hermione groaned in between kisses"

"fine" Malfoy murmured in a gruff voice, and hoisted Hermione onto his hip.

_Whoaaa what is this? Stop now Hermione! Now! What's wrong with you?"_

Instead of obeying the logical voice in her head, she kissed Malfoy down the back of the neck as he turned the knob of a door and the walked into... a broom cupboard?

Where they were seemed not to matter to either of them. The second Malfoy closed the door Hermione leapt off him and pulled his coat away. She ripped his shirt over his head and set about unbuckling his belt.

"My turn" Malfoy pushed her off him roughly and advanced on her. Hermione heard a telltale rip of expensive material as Malfoy tugged madly at her dress, and it fell to the ground around her feet.

Pressed together, crushing each others lips on their own, batting for dominance, they moved around the room, unable to keep still. Up against the bleach rack, in the corner with the mops, pressed against tool hooks.

"I fucking hate you"

"its mutual then."

**French**

**la leirre palais roughly translates to the ivy palace, and intensite is of course, intensity**

**Sorry I left it short there; I sort of wanted it to be left to the imagination. Think pretty kinky though.**

**Reviews please! This was just sort of a random piece I'd like to know what you think. Should I keep writing things like this? Or is it too short and weird? I'd love to know!**


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